Causes of death from unintentional injuries among children differ significantly by age. For children under the age of 1 year, the most common cause of death was suffocation in 2015, the most recent year available. For children age 1 to 4 drowning was the most common cause of death followed closely by motor vehicle crashes. Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 9 and 10 to 14.

Top Five Causes of Children's Unintentional Injury Deaths by Age, 2015

Age group

Rank

Cause

Number

Percent of total deaths

Under 1 year

1

Suffocation

1,125

87.1%

2

Motor vehicle crashes

64

5.0

3

Drowning

30

2.3

4

Fire/burn

22

1.7

5

Natural/environment

12

0.9

1 to 4

1

Drowning

390

31.6

2

Motor vehicle crashes

332

26.9

3

Suffocation

131

10.6

4

Fire/burn

100

8.1

5

Pedestrian

75

6.1

5 to 9

1

Motor vehicle crashes

351

46.5

2

Drowning

129

17.1

3

Fire/burn

72

9.5

4

Other land transportation

32

4.2

5

Suffocation

31

4.1

10 to 14

1

Motor vehicle crashes

412

54.0

2

Drowning

87

11.4

3

Other land transportation

51

6.7

4

Fire/burn

41

5.4

5

Poisoning

36

4.7

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Motor vehicle crash deaths

In the vast majority of youth motor vehicle fatalities, the child was a passenger in a vehicle; 20 percent were pedestrians; 3 percent were bicyclists. Crash deaths have declined dramatically since 1975 for all children under the age of 12, according to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Deaths And Rate Per Million Children Through Age 12, 1975-2015

Children Killed Or Injured in Vehicle Crashes By Age, 2015

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Restraint use

Child safety seats have reduced the number of children’s deaths from motor vehicle crashes. The National Highway Traffic Administration says that the seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent for children under 1 year old and by 54 percent for toddlers age 1 to 4. Child safety seats or adult seat belts have saved an estimated 10,940 lives of children under the age of 5 in passenger vehicles from 1975 to 2015.

Restraint Use Among Fatally Injured Children In Passenger Vehicles By Age, 1985

Under 1 year

1 to 3

4 to 8

9 to 12

Total

Unrestrained

Number

85

230

267

223

805

Percent

65%

71%

69%

77%

71%

Safety belt

Number

2

18

41

21

82

Percent

2%

6%

11%

7%

7%

Child safety seat

Number

29

55

7

0

91

Percent

22%

17%

2%

0%

8%

Total restrained

Number

31

73

48

21

173

Percent

24%

22%

12%

7%

15%

Unknown

Number

14

23

70

46

153

Percent

11%

7%

18%

16%

14%

Total

Number

130

326

385

290

1,131

Percent

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Restraint Use Among Fatally Injured Children In Passenger Vehicles By Age, 2015

Under 1 year

1 to 3

4 to 8

9 to 12

Total

Unrestrained

Number

9

44

88

74

215

Percent

18%

26%

35%

39%

32%

Safety belt

Number

2

11

72

95

180

Percent

4%

6%

28%

50%

27%

Child safety seat

Number

32

100

69

2

203

Percent

65%

58%

27%

1%

31%

Total restrained

Number

34

111

141

97

383

Percent

69%

65%

56%

51%

58%

Unknown

Number

6

16

24

19

65

Percent

12%

9%

9%

10%

10%

Total

Number

49

171

253

190

663

Percent

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Recreation

Among children up to the age of 14, football was the most dangerous sport, causing almost 206,000 injuries in 2015. Basketball and bicycle riding ranked second and third, causing 175,000 and 168,000 injuries, respectively. Soccer and swimming round out the top five, with 106,000 and 97,000 injuries.

Concern is growing about the risks of sports-related concussions as lawsuits filed by injured professional football players have generated national headlines. The problem also affects thousands of young people who engage in a variety of sports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2012, an estimated 329,290 children (age 19 or younger) were treated in U.S. emergency departments for sports and recreation-related injuries that included a diagnosis of concussion or traumatic brain injury.

Top 10 Sports By Number of Injuries For Children Through the Age of 14, 2015